National Guard accused of forcing Camp Roberts whistleblower to retire

March 27, 2017

A retired Army major who lives in Paso Robles is accusing the California National Guard of forcing him to retire as retaliation for blowing the whistle about financial mismanagement and deteriorating conditions at Camp Roberts. [Sac Bee]

Maj. Joseph Lovelace, a 46-year-old Iraq War veteran, was a source for stories in 2011 that exposed illegal retention bonuses the National Guard handed to tens of thousands of citizen soldiers, as well as conditions at Camp Roberts that included decaying buildings, sewage bubbling from the showers and deteriorated materials that were bought for repairs but left out in the open. The stories resulted in a shake-up in the California National Guard’s command and led to the adoption of a law that gave more independence to the state Military Department’s inspector general and enhanced protection for whistleblowers.

Nine months after Lovelace spoke with a reporter, he received three performance reviews in a period of three weeks. The reviews stated Lovelace was capable of making good decisions “with strong mentorship” and “supervision” and could succeed at a higher rank “with continued mentorship.”

The wording of the reviews carried an underlying message that constitutes career-killing language, senior Army officers said. The officers said Lovelace’s command did not want him to advance to a higher rank, and without a promotion, he would be forced to retire.

Lovelace, who is now out of the National Guard, is trying to overturn the three performance reviews and is contesting them through a Pentagon agency. Lovelace argues he was prevented from attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel and was driven out of the National Guard for drawing attention to neglected problems. He also says the performance reviews are reducing his lifetime earnings because he would receive more money for retiring at a higher rank.

Two of Lovelace’s former supervisors have backed the retired major, reporting Lovelace suffered retaliation after he identified himself as a source in the Sacramento Bee’s stories.

However, a 2014 Army investigation concluded the reviews were conducted appropriately. A California National Guard spokesman said Lovelace was given several other key assignments before retiring from the active service in 2015.

Since retiring, Lovelace has been trying to launch a small business. He receives a pension from the Army based on his 24-year military career and his rank as major.

Lovelace says blowing the whistle was still the right thing to do, and if he could go back in time, he would make the same choice again.